The Contradiction of Christ
by Adelphos
Summary: Ever wonder what kind of papers biblical scholars produce? Here's one of mine.


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THE CONTRADICTION OF CHRIST: HOW CAN HE BE BOTH MAN AND GOD?

GP111B Introduction to Philosophy

Jonathan Mackay

Box #64

Heritage College

SECTION I: INTRODUCTION

The concept of there being both mortal and divine beings is one of the central ideas of the Christian faith. Logically, humanity and divinity are two distinct and separate ideas that are contradictory to each other. It is logical; however, to assume that because a divine being created humanity, that there are some similarities. Thus, it is logical for a being to be both mortal and divine at the same time. In fact, such a being did exist. That being was Jesus Christ. In order to prove the possibility that he was divine at the same time he was mortal, the basic similarities and differences between God and man must be examined. 

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SECTION II: THE NATURE OF GOD

There is a multitude of things that can be said about God, and it is impossible to write about all of them, as for every aspect examined, there would be a deeper aspect that humanity cannot comprehend. Thus, only a few aspects of his nature will be examined. God is a merciful creator. Although we have become flawed and imperfect beings, God has not forsaken us. This also shows his love for his creations. 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, NIV)

This Bible verse not only shows the mercy of God, it also shows his love. Mankind is sinful, and as sinful beings, we must be punished. If God is a god of mercy, how could he punish us? On the surface, justice and mercy cannot co-exist. Justice demands that punishment be given for whatever crimes have been committed. Mercy demands that the guilty party be spared from punishment. These two things can co-exist, as God sent Jesus to die for humanity, to take the punishment instead. Justice was given, as well as mercy. 

The key aspect of God that deals with the apparent contradiction of Christ is his nature of absolute good. There is no evil anywhere in His presence; it is anathema to him. Because man is considered to be evil through sin, man cannot be in God's presence.

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SECTION III: THE CONTRADICTION

Mankind is considered to be inherently evil through the doctrine of original sin. It is assumed that humanity's being born into sin means that humanity is also born into evil. If this is true, that man's nature is evil, does it not logically follow that because Christ was a man, he was also evil? And if God is good, and Christ is also God, does this not mean that Christ is also good? But if as a man, he is evil, and as God, he is good, then there is a contradiction. He cannot be both. Evil is considered to be the absence of good, that is, evil exists where good does not. Therefore, if man is evil, and God is good, Christ cannot be both God and man at the same time.

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SECTION IV: THE RESOLUTION

In order to solve the contradiction between the goodness of God, and the evil of humanity, we need to look at the true nature of mankind. Logically, if mankind were truly evil, then Christ himself would be evil, because he was man. This does not work because Christ is God, and God is good. Therefore, the belief that man is evil must be false. As a result, it is reasonable to conclude that the quintessential nature of humanity is goodness. Why is this? God created the human race in His image, and because He is of absolute good, it is logical to assume that any creation made by Him would have some degree of goodness in it. In fact, there is an innate desire to do what is good, but without Christ, we are unable to follow through with that desire. "I know I am rotten through and through so fare as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't." (Romans 7:18, NLT) Thus, the desire to do what is good shows that there is good in humanity's nature, but it cannot be reached because of our sinfulness.

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SECTION V: COUNTER-ARGUMENTS TO THE RESOLUTION

Counter-Argument #1 

Is it not possible that Christ occupied a middle ground? That is, being neither fully good, nor fully evil? 

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Answer:Because God is absolute good, and Christ is God, Christ cannot be any less than absolute good. It is impossible for an absolute to be any less or any more than what it is. There cannot be any middle ground. Evil can be defined as the absence of good. How then could both exist at the same time? Can there be complete darkness when a light is turned on? Can cold exist where there is heat? Can noise exist where there is silence? Evil is considered to be Mutually exclusive things cannot co-exist. God and Man are not mutually exclusive, as shown in the very existence of Christ.

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Counter-Argument #2 

If mankind's nature is quintessentially good, why is there evil in the world?

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Answer:Although _mankind's _nature is good, there are still human beings that are quite clearly evil. When God created the Human race, He gave us free will, which is the ability to make our own decisions and judgements. Although we were created good, because we can choose our own paths in life, it is logical to conclude that there would be people in history who chose to go against their inherent good nature and be evil. 

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Counter-Argument #3

The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of God. If sin is defined as being moral evil, would this not mean that man is evil in nature?

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Answer: Although sin is considered moral evil it is important to remember that man was created before sin entered the world. Therefore, because man was created good, the entrance of sin into the world does not replace the good nature of man, rather, it covers it from the view of God, meaning that we cannot enter His presence because of sin. Sin can only be removed through the grace of God.

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SECTION VI: IS CHRIST BOTH MAN AND GOD?

This proves that it _is possible _that Christ was both man and God, however, it does not prove that he _is _both man and God. The Bible provides strong evidence to suggest that Jesus Christ was indeed both man and God. There are over 400 prophecies in the Old Testament that regarded the coming Messiah, who would be both God and man at the same time. If it can be shown that Christ fulfilled these prophecies, and that he is indeed the promised messiah, then it is logical to conclude that he is both man and God. The prophecies made about him can be broken down into several sets: those that surround his birth, his life, and his death. The prophecies about his birth should be examined first.

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SECTION VII: BIRTH PROPHECIES

It was written in the Bible that the messiah would be born of a virgin. The biblical story of Christ's birth states that his mother Mary was a virgin. For this virgin birth to happen, Christ could not have possibly had a human father. Thus, the story of his birth reinforces the fact that he is both man and God, mortal and divine. In fact, the book of Matthew provides a genealogy of Christ's ancestry dating back to Abraham. In fact, Christ's birth was prophesied in Isaiah. "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Emmanuel (God is with us)" (Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 NLT) Also, the location of his birth was also prophesied. "O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel." (Micah 5:2; 2 Samuel 5:2 NLT)

If Christ fulfilled these prophecies in his birth, what logical reason is there to conclude that he was a normal child? Indeed, two years after his birth, an event occurred that could not be explained away as a coincidence. After the visit of the wise men, Herod had all boys under the age of two killed. Fortunately, an angel of the Lord warned Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt to escape the slaughter. Herod's action fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah: "A cry of anguish is heard in Ramah, weeping and mourning unrestrained. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead." (Jeremiah 31:15 NLT) As a result, Christ was called out of Egypt, fulfilling Hosea's prophecy detailed in Hosea 11:1. "I called my Son out of Egypt." (NLT) These prophecies surrounding Christ's birth serve to establish proof of Christ's divine origin. 

Events the occurred in Christ's later life also serves this same purpose.

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SECTION VIII: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS CHRIST

One of the most powerful pieces of New Testament Scripture is that of Christ's baptism. After Christ's baptism, Scripture says: "the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him." (Matthew 3:16-17 NLT)

This simple event is an overwhelming proof that Christ was in fact mortal and divine. Also, to emphasis his humanity, the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the desert so that he could be tempted by Satan. Satan tried to use Scripture against Christ, but Christ countered him at every turn using more Scripture. After his temptation, Christ began his ministry. Christ travelled to Galilee, fulfilling a prophecy of Isaiah. "In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined." (Isaiah 9:1-2) Christ worked many miracles while on earth, and each miracle he worked emphasised his divinity. Christ healed the sick, raised the dead, and gave the blind sight and the deaf hearing. Modern medical technology cannot do any of these things to any significant degree of success, and it certainly cannot restore the dead to life. Yet this is exactly what Christ did. Christ taught for several years, growing in popularity each year. Eventually, however, the religious leaders of the time began to consider him a threat, so they set in motion a plan to have him killed. What these leaders did not know was that Christ's death was in the plan all along.

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SECTION IX: DEATH IS DEAD – CHRIST'S DEATH AND ITS MEANING

The key proof of Christ's divinity comes in the final week of his life. Christ entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy. "Tell the people of Israel, 'Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey, even on a donkey's colt.'" (Isaiah 62:11 Zechariah 9:9 NLT) The triumphant entry pales in comparison to the next major event. Christ had gone to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, and after he had prayed, Judas, his betrayer, showed up with an armed mob sent by the religious leaders. They arrested Jesus and brought him to the home of the high priest, where they put him on trial. The high priest asked Jesus, "I demand in the name of the living Hod that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God." (Matthew 26:63 NLT) Christ's reply removes all doubt about his origins. In fact, Jesus replied, "Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God's right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven." If Christ were not divine in origin, why would he say this? He knew that the priests would consider his words blasphemous, and as such, condemn him to death. After this trial, they brought Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate gave them a choice, as was custom at the time, between releasing Barabbas, a notorious criminal, and Christ. Pilate knew that the Jewish leaders had arrested Christ out of envy. The crowd chose to have Barabbas released, and Christ crucified. Christ was turned over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. Christ was brought to a place called Golgotha, where he was nailed to the cross. A sign was put above his head, saying, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." At three o'clock in the afternoon, Christ gave up his spirit, and died. At the exact moment he died the impossible happened. An earthquake occurred, and tombs broke open and the bodies of many godly people were resurrected and the curtain in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. The important thing about this is that the curtain was very thick, so it was impossible to rip it. The Romans soldiers at the cross were terrified from the earthquake and everything else that happened. They said, "Truly, this man was the Son of God!" The story does not end here however, for three days later, people had gone down to the tomb where Jesus was buried, and they discovered it empty. Christ had risen from the dead! An impossible feat for any human being, but as was mentioned before, Christ was not just human, he was also God, so it was certainly not impossible for him to raise himself from the dead. The significance of this event goes far beyond proving that he was God, for when Christ was on the cross, he was taking the punishment for the sins of all humanity, so that we could have fellowship with God. Yet, if he had stayed dead, it would have been meaningless. Christ needed to rise from the dead so that all of humanity could be forgiven of their sins. It was this event that totally proves his divinity.

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SECTION X: IT IS FINISHED!

These words were the last words that Christ said before he died on the cross. The divine plan for his life that had begun back when Adam and Eve lived had come to its completion. Man was no longer kept separate from God, as Christ's divine purpose was to bridge the gulf that had developed between man and God because of sin. Each human being now has a choice. They can accept Christ as the Son of God; the promised Messiah, the Saviour, or they can reject him and ignore the truth that has been set out for them. This is not a choice that can be made on the spur of the moment. It requires a lot of thought and consideration. Choose wisely, and weigh the evidence carefully, and there will be no disappointment. Pascal's wager sums up this choice well, if one believes in Christ and is right about what Christ said he was, there is infinite gain. If one is wrong, there is only finite loss. If one does not believe in Christ's words, and is right, there is only finite gain, however, if one is wrong, there is infinite loss. Common sense and logic suggests going for the best possible result, so bet on Christ.


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